SPORTS BRIEFS

Staff writer, with agencies

Wed, Mar 06, 2013 - Page 18

SOCCER

Lee spot-kick rescues point

Taiwan captain Lee Meng-chian scored a penalty 10 minutes from time against hosts Myanmar to rescue a point in a 1-1 draw in Group A of AFC Challenge Cup qualifying on Monday. With group favorites India making it two wins out of two with a 4-0 win over Guam in the earlier match, the pressure was on the hosts and they looked to be heading for the win they needed when forward Soe Kyaw Kyaw found the back of the net in the 18th minute. However, in the 80th minute the referee awarded Taiwan a penalty, which was successfully converted by Lee to earn Taiwan their first point of the tournament being held at the Yangon Youth Training Center. Taiwan face Guam today in their final group match.

CRICKET

India crush Australia

India won the second Test against Australia in Hyderabad yesterday by an innings and 135 runs, with Ravichandran Ashwin taking 5-53 as Australia were bowled out for 131 in their second innings. “India deserve a lot of credit,” Australia captain Michael Clarke said. “They outplayed us in every facet of the game. There is no doubt we have a lot of work to do. In all facets of the game. There will certainly be no stone left unturned. The batsmen haven’t put enough runs on, and there is no excuse for that. There will be no break between the Test matches. There will be a lot of hard work, I can assure you. You don’t get better sitting on the couch. We have had guys get in and out without making big scores. That’s unacceptable.” The third Test starts on Thursday next week.

BASKETBALL

Lin to play in Philippines

Taiwanese-American NBA star Jeremy Lin and the Houston Rockets are set to face the Indiana Pacers in a pre-season game in the Philippines in October, according to a report on Monday. Neither club nor the NBA has commented on the report, but NBA Philippines Facebook and Twitter accounts have posted messages with the league logo and the phrase “Big Things Are Coming,” with an announcement date of yesterday. The same logo is also found on the Web site of the Mall of Asia arena, where InterAKTV reported the first-ever NBA pre-season exhibition game will match the Rockets and Pacers on Oct. 10. Basketball is popular in the Philippines and Filipino fans have had a taste of NBA talent as recently as 2011 when Kobe Bryant and other top players were there while the league was shut down in a money dispute between players and club owners. No NBA club has played in the Philippines since the Washington Bullets toured Asia in 1979.

TRIATHLON

Alcatraz competitor dies

For the first time in its 33-year history, a participant in the world-renowned “Escape from Alcatraz” triathlon has died. The death of Ross Ehlinger, 46, on Sunday during the swimming portion of the event — held in a frigid San Francisco Bay amid 1.8m swells and a powerful outgoing tide — raised questions about what effect the tough conditions had. This year’s event was held on Sunday rather than in June to accommodate the America’s Cup sailing race. The answer appears to be that the father of three from Austin, Texas, may have had an underlying health problem exposed in an especially grueling triathlon. The San Francisco medical examiner is still investigating the cause of death, but race organizers and a heart surgeon who participated in the race speculated that the attorney succumbed to an underlying health problem, rather than being a victim exclusively of the conditions or drowning.